Nightmares
by Looly
Summary: [Taang, oneshot] The nightmares had haunted him from the moment he met her. He could have sworn that they had haunted him even before she had joined their group...


**Disclaimer:** Don't look at me, I just write fanfiction.

**Nightmares**

by Looly

* * *

The nightmares had haunted him from the moment he met her—he could have sworn that they had haunted him even _before_ she had joined their group. 

_Where is your face? Where is your face? Who did this to you? Who—_

When he was younger, he remembered waking up sobbing and wondering why such silly, meaningless dreams evoked such terrifying feelings of sadness in him. Nightmares rarely frightened the Avatar. They weren't real, anyway; they were nothing but the product of overactive imaginations, and those who took them too seriously were foolish.

_What do you mean that I did this to you?_

But one dream always returned to him. Rarely did a month pass that he didn't experience it. It haunted him, both asleep and awake; he hated the nightmare.

_Why did you go? Why did you try to do it on your own? Why were you so _stupid

Aang splashed cold water onto his face, chasing away the images. It made no sense. He supposed that it _had_ been weird to see Toph in the swamp before actually meeting her… But the old man had explained all of that away; time—future, past, present—had no meaning in the swamp. Katara had seen her mother and Sokka had seen Yue. While both just happened to be visions of people no longer living, the Avatar had brushed the insignificant fact away…

_The monster danced around her, a wicked grin on his face—an aloof look on hers._

_He watched the monster encircle the young woman (Tu, Tu, she was Tu). Her expression was adamant. The scene before him continued to play out with little change for a length of time. The monster would continuously scream and cry and leap and insult—and his frustration would rise and rise and rise when not a twitch was received._

"_I need to know," the beautiful woman whispered, "how I can save Jia."_

He hated the feeling of knowing that he was forgetting something, having the very words on the tip of his tongue—but never quite figuring it out. These dreams told him so many things. Yet, once his eyes opened and he left the horrors behind, Aang couldn't remember any of the things he knew were of great importance. Only Tu's face, and the feelings of sadness and failure that lingered.

_Harsh laughter was the response to Tu's question. "Why do you care?" The beast leaned in close to her face, his breath tickling her cheeks. "This pains you greatly—yet you come here seeking my answers anyway. _Surely_ you are not here for that dying woman…"_

_Tu began to shake. Her fists were clenched and her teeth were gritted._

"_Ahhh. I see. You have come to me, risking your life in the process, to save your competition." The monster paused before erupting into harsh laughter—his eyes were glowing with amusement, as though the young woman's suffering was entertainment at its best. "Don't try to hide your feelings, woman. You love the Avatar_ _with all of your pathetic, little heart. Yet, you come here to save the life of _his_ love, the woman that he loves instead of _you

"_Or, do you really care for her life?" Koh remained inches from the face of Tu, whose determination was weakening. "Are you doing this in hopes of winning the affections of your Avatar? Is that it? I know all, my dear; you can hold that bored expression as long as you like. I do not have to read your face to know the truth."_

Aang had the sequence memorized by now. He knew the very words that would break the beautiful woman, the words that would drive her to finally break out into tears; he could visualize the horrible, snarling beast that replaced Koh's grinning face; and he would never forget the woman's screams as Koh dove upon her.

"_I also happen to know, my dear, that he will _never_ love you."_

Why did he dream of a crying woman with flowing brown hair—of a woman who, when he called out to her, to tell her to _leave now while she still can_, was without a face when she turned to him?

And why did cries of "Tu" slowly morph into cries of "Toph"?

* * *

"You've never been to the Spirit World, have you, Toph?" 

The two 'benders sat together, one with his eyes closed in meditation while the other sat staring blankly ahead, idly wondering why the heartbeat of her companion was reminiscent of a person filled with fear. It was late and the others were sleeping farther off; Toph had been awoken by Aang's constant shifting about and unusually loud heartbeat. Although she supposed the airbender had experienced nothing but a nightmare, it was odd that he remained on edge for so long.

"No…" she said slowly. "Why?"

"Promise me you'll never go there."

With her word of confused promise the Avatar bade her goodnight and curled up into a ball, closing his eyes only to ponder fears of repeated mistakes and to await nightmares of lost friends.

* * *

_I just don't feel it with this one, but I reeeaaally liked the idea of it. The moment Koh mentioned stealing the face of an older Avatar's loved one, I was dying to form_ something _around that tidbit. So, being a Taanger and a big fan of the reincarnation theory, I came up with this. I also love Koh. So much. Oh, and can you tell that I hate titling things? I'm extremely unimaginative in the titling area, so I kept it nice and simple. Tell me what you liked, what you hated, if it made any sense (my biggest fear is not coming across clear, you see...) et cetera et cetera et cetera... in a review!_


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